Countertops
Choosing an outdoor countertop: stainless against stone on thermal shock, staining, overhang and weight on a castor frame — and how each one actually fails.
The short answer
Both work outdoors. They fail differently: stone fails visibly and suddenly (thermal shock, staining), stainless fails invisibly and slowly (scratching, oil canning on a thin top).
Read in this order
Start here
The rest of the category is variations on these. Each answers one question rather than listing trends.
Guides in this section
The full list
Newest first. Each guide answers one question and links to the cabinet, drawing or report that settles it.
Before you read the guides
What decides the surface, in order
These are the decisions the guides below keep returning to. Settle them roughly first; the articles then fill in the detail.
Thermal shock
A cold stone top and a hot grill lid is the failure stone has and stainless does not. It shows up as a hairline crack, months later, away from the heat.
Staining
Oil, wine and citrus sit on a porous top. A brushed stainless surface marks too, but the mark is on the surface rather than inside it.
Overhang
A top can cantilever past a castor frame by a limited amount before it needs a leg or a bracket. Stone reaches that limit sooner because it weighs more.
Weight on a mobile frame
Stone on castors changes how the run is levelled and how easily it can be moved for cleaning. It is done, but the frame has to be planned for it.
Joints
Where two tops meet, the line moves with the season. On stainless it is welded or siliconed; on stone it is a visible joint that has to be placed deliberately.
Straight answers
Questions this section gets most
If the answer you need is not here, the enquiry form asks for the grill model and the run length and nothing else.
Can I put a stone top on these cabinets?
Yes. The carcass is the same; the top is either supplied to your drawing or cut locally to the run dimensions once the modules are set.
Which is cheaper, stainless or stone?
Stainless, in almost every market. Stone costs more in material and more again in cutting, templating and handling.
Does stainless scratch outdoors?
It marks. A brushed finish hides marks that a mirror finish shows, which is why brushed is the default on an outdoor run.
Save the reading
Send us the grill and the length
One field, then a configuration and a price. If your grill is one we have not cut for, we will ask for the manufacturer's drawing rather than guess at it.
Page last updated · Reviewed by the BOGEQI technical team, Foshan Bogeqi Cabinetry Co., Ltd.
Reference
Countertop sizes, as built
The worktop is the one part of the run where a millimetre either side of the frame shows. These are the numbers it has to meet.